Halloweentown II

Fun to be back.

Yeah, I really could have bet my soul on the fact I reviewed Halloweentown 1 and 2 years back but here we are. And I gotta say I think I liked this one better, so it's been about a year in movie time with Grandma Aggie living with Marnie and the family before stuff starts going sideways in Halloweentown where our magical heroes set forth to save the town once more from, actually despite the full title of Kalabar's Revenge there is no Kalabar but rather his son. I actually quite like how the tone is much more consistent, you get your villain introduction and the inciting incident quite quick and the stakes do feel raised from the last movie. The production values have went up considerably, the acting is mostly good, it's concisely told, and while it was made purely for young children you could see a bit of dramatic weight with Marnie's situation. She's a lot more proactive and no nonsense in this movie which makes sense because Kimberly Brown was a bit older so the character would be more mature too, and I genuinely could see potential with her dilemma of either staying in the mortal world or staying in Halloweentown permanently. Of course Debbie Reynolds is still quite fun but takes more of a back seat in the plot, yet it really wouldn't be Halloweentown without her. I don't have a grudge against Daniel Kountz as warlock in training Cal who is our villain, he needs to play this kind of smarmy evil bastard and that's what he does but I feel he needed more material to work with to make it a good performance. Sophie and Dylan don't even get put in the backseat, they're practically thrown in the trunk which does kinda suck a bit because I like how they go about the magic business with Dylan, it's not so much a lack of belief or matter of faith in magic that keeps him from using it it's just that he relies too much on logic and reality to use magic, you just gotta have an open mind about it. The effects are decent, and I actually really gotta give props to the set designers with how Halloweentown is sapped of all life and festivity, giving everything a cold lifeless grayscale color pallete to both architecture and citizens, it's really damn cool looking almost noir-esque. I never really progressed past Halloweentown 2 in the series, I may have caught a bit of Halloweentown High a very very long time ago, but this was kinda it for me. But hey who knows, we may touch base on the other two films in the future. I give this movie a solid 3 stars, 7.5/10, and ohhh the things we will talk about next month. Bye for now...

Halloweentown

I could have sworn I already did a review of this.

I distinctly remember, and that's something I cannot often say nowadays, of watching both Halloweentown 1 and 2 with the intent of writing a review. But I never did, and that was 3 odd years ago. So what do I think of such a fondly remembered Halloween classic for no doubt not just my generation but others as well? I did like it, yes it's very much a movie of it's time, yes you can poke fun at it a number of ways, yes it's not great, but it has a charm of it's own. For a Disney channel original movie from the 90s it has quite good production values, with prosthetics, and masks, and animatronics oh my, which I didn't fully expect upon rewatching. The cast I think did very well, I mean of course you have Debbie Reynolds and can I just take the moment to say God bless her, cause she never looked down on the role or thought it a waste of time but enjoyed every moment of it and was always happy to play the part in future installments. But even the kid actors do mighty good and are given good and kinda real dialogue, sibling rivalry is easy to write for certain folks, and they treat it seriously thus making it more enjoyable. Even the mom I thought was going to be a stick in the mud the whole time but Judith Hoag gets a fair portion of screen time and actually does something other than nag or worry. It doesn't have the deepest of plots but the way it's executed is why it works, concerning three children who inadvertently discover their loving grandma is indeed a witch and follow her back to the eponymous town as they encounter monsters and ghouls while an evil plot stirs in the background. And the film has good pacing, while it takes about 25 minutes until they actually get to Halloweentown by the time the conflict comes up it still has ample time to resolve it. Nothing feels rushed or half-assed, and to be perfectly honest I would only change one aspect of the film which is only really a slight readjusting to the plot. I personally felt all the various gatherings of the potion to save everyone should have come before the villain was actually revealed, to further have that tension and not to feel like a montage of funny moments after a big emotional push for our heroes. That's just me of course, and it doesn't by any stretch hurt the movie at all it's just something I noted. But all in all it's entertaining and fun, I can easily see why this became a Halloween tradition for many kids and growing adults year after year. I give it 3 stars, 7/10, and I think next week it's gonna be a bloody affair.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Yeah we're getting 90s in here people so strap in.

Yeah another reptilian movie after Godzilla but I got news for you, I was having the time of my life. Time for backstory! When I was 6 years old I owned this movie on VHS, I never heard of the cartoon, read the graphic novel, or anything. It was just a movie about fighting turtles and I absolutely loved it, I used to watch it and the second movie all the time and now over 15 years later I think I love it even more. I was a kid again watching this movie, quoting lines left and right, loving the fights, but I appreciate so much more now and I've gained knowledge about the making of the movie. See kids way back in the day before I was even a gleam in my mother's eye Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ruled the world, every kid loved it, there was merchandise coming out the ears, it was insanely popular in the late 80s and pretty soon producers wanted to make a movie. But absolutely no one wanted to do it, they had to take it to New Line Cinema who was still in it's infancy at the time to make it, and they really gave it their all. They wanted a more gritty, more badass edgy movie for teenagers but still make it suitable for kids and they exceeded spectacularly. It perfectly walks that tightrope of not being excessively violent and dark but also not being just another kid's movie fluff that parents would mentally check out on. The movie is hilarious but knows when to take it's time for mood, character, and even a tiny touch of atmosphere and they do everything so well. I know I'm just fanboying the hell out over this movie but it's true! This movie is fricking awesome man! It cherry picks the best elements of the cartoon and graphic novel to create a well done story, a crime wave of massive proportions has hit New York City done by thiefs with superior stealh abilities and it's not too long before we meet our heroes who with the help of a news reporter start fighting the mysterious attackers. It's incredibly basic but that doesn't mean it's boring or old hat. They treated it seriously and wanted to make a good movie. That is immediately recognized in the animatronics of the turtles, sweet heavenly pizza it is phenomenal! I'm serious they look so real it's ludicrous and they're not stiff puppets, you see them do flying kicks, cartwheels, roundhouse kicks, the costumes are done so well that it does not hinder the stunt performers and it is phenomenal! And of course it wouldn't be the turtles without their distinct voices, all given with such personality and charm that just deepens your immersion. And the soundtrack is rad from beginning to end! It's just...guys, watch this movie again if you haven't already it really is done incredibly well in all departments. And if my gushing love for this movie doesn't convince you, for the longest time this was the most successful and profitable independent film yet taking nearly a decade before it was topped by The Blair Witch Project in 1999. That's quite a reputation! I cannot recommend this movie enough, if you have an hour and a half to spare with friends order a pizza and have a movie night, especially if you were fans of it when you were younger. So after such a great opening entry, did the sequel continue the trend? Are Pogs still a thing? Well tune in tomorrow to find out!